We at Development Dialogues are constantly trying to expose what lies beneath the glitzy exterior of 'development' the world over. The blog was started as an archive for the articles and reports pertaining to the land acquisitions in West Bengal and India. The scope of the blog has since been expanded to include resistance movements against state and corporate repressions from around the world.

This Divide Could Lead To Class War, Say SociologistsNauzer K Bharucha

Mumbai 3.03.2010: Behind fortified gates where access is strictly controlled,its residents bask in world class amenities—jogging track, swimmingpool, garden, club house, coffee shop and laundromat. Welcome to thecity’s rapidly proliferating new gated communities. From Parel incentral Mumbai to Goregaon in the western suburbs and Ghatkopar in theeast, these sprawling complexes—many of them coming up in traditionallower or middle-income localities—are slowly changing the socialdynamics of this congested metropolis.

It’s a society in transition. Developers call these plushresidential ghettos ‘islands of exclusivity’; others warn that peopleliving in such enclaves are cutting themselves off from reality.According to urban experts, although the city has always had itssprinkling of traditional community ghettos since the past twocenturies, the growth of gated communities sharpens the divide betweenthe affluent and the economically destitute.

“Historically, the rich and poor have always lived cheek by jowl inMumbai. But gated communities are now taking us one step furthertowards structural conflict. Although poverty becomes invisible forthe wealthy residing here, such enclaves increase the degree of theirinsecurity,’’ said Amita Bhide, associate professor, school of habitatstudies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

At Jacob Circle, the Planet Godrej residential property comprising380 apartments in five, 48-storeyed towers is what the managingdirector of Godrej Properties, Milind Korde, described as a ‘gatedcommunity.’ Situated on a five acre plot, the premium project offersfacilities like tennis courts, club house, modern gym and‘professional property managers to ensure high standards in upkeep andmaintenance’. Yet, step outside the complex and one is immediatelyconfronted with dilapidated chawls occupied by mill workers and class4 employees. A short distance away is the infamous Dagdi chawl, thehideout of gangsterturned-politician Arun Gawli. “There are negatives.But the positives will far outweigh them in the next few years as thearea develops,’’ Korde said.

The 18-acre property, which once belonged to Hindustan CompositesLtd at LBS Marg in Ghatkopar, will soon be converted into a ‘gatedcommunity’. “We want to create an experience that once a workingperson or a young child enters the complex on a Friday, they need notget out till Monday. The entire weekend should be a stress busterwithin the complex,’’ said Parth Mehta, business development managerof Wadhwa Group, which is developing this exclusive enclave. It willhave a supermarket, food bazaar, laundry, chemist shop, car washsystems, spas, massage centre, club houses and an ATM machine.

“Gated communities are bound to become popular if infrastructuredoes not keep up with the aspirations of a certain class of people whowant to live in a controlled environment,’’ said developer VickyOberoi of Oberoi Constructions. “I would call the ones in Mumbai’svertical gated communities and they take care of virtually all yourneeds,’’ he added. A large chunk of Oberoi’s 80-acre property inGoregaon is, what he described as a ‘city within a city’. “Here, 80%of your daily needs are taken care of,’’ he said. Knight Frank (India) chairman Pranay Vakil observed that a lot ofdevelopers creating gated communities are laying strong emphasis onsecurity. “People face real or perceived threats. In a gatedcommunity, there is the mental comfort of good security,’’ he said.Besides security, projects like the Ashok Towers in the heart of themill land belt of Parel, offers its residents a 20,000-sqft coffeeshop and a 25-seater mini theatre, added Vakil.

Minakshi Maheshwari, who recently moved into a gated communitycomplex in Sewri, said,

“Outside the property, there are hutments and encroachments. You spendcrores on a flat, but you cannot walk on the footpath. In Mumbai thereis no value for money.’’ According to her, the divide is so sharp thatthe poor could get intimidated by those living in the towers. “Yes,there is a feeling of insecurity here,’’she said. The complex in which Maheshwari lives once housed a textile millwhich shut down, leaving hundreds of workers redundant. “Every fewmonths they stand outside the gate and shout slogans. There were 284mill workers, but our housing complex could hire only 65 to work assecurity guards and for housekeeping,’’ she said.

surrounded by slums.’’ “Architecturally they may be good, butcompletely lack in character and are extremely artificial. One is notonly isolated from the world outside, but even your neighbours don’tknow you,’’ she said. According to her, it is a new way of living, butlacks something on a humane level. Housing activist Chandrashekhar Prabhu said, “Gentrification isinevitable, but when one class is pitted against the other then it canassume alarming proportions, which will be detrimental to society.

Architect Neera Adarkar said children living in gated communitieswould not be able to face reality. “When they grow up, will they beequipped to interact with civil society?,’’ she said. Adarkar, who hasbeen fighting for the rights of mill workers, said these high-endhousing complexes are coming up in neighbourhoods that were oncelooked down upon by the elite. “Now these localities are beingappropriated by the upwardly mobile. The nomenclature has changed,’’she added.

FIR RECORDED UNDER COURT ORDERS AGAINST SUSHIL MOHTA OF MERLIN PROJECTS LTD & HIS ACCOMPLICES FOR VIOLATING THE PRIVACY RIGHTS OF A BENGALI LADY IN ORDER TO BLACKMAIL HER.THIS IS THE 3RD FIR AGAINST SUSHIL MOHTA BUT OUR POLICE FORCE HAS BEEN SITTING TIGHT FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS WITHOUT TAKING ANY ACTION AGAINST THE ACCUSED PERSONS BECAUSE OF THEIR HUGE MONEY POWER, POLITICAL CONNECTIONS AND CLOSE CONTACTS WITH A FEW HIGHLY CORRUPT POLICE OFFICERS.THE SAID FIR NOS. ARE AS FOLLOWS:NO. 90/O8 DTD.05/04/2008 OF BHOWANIPORE P.S, KOLKATA.NO. 526/09 DTD.25/09/2009 OF BISHNUPUR P.S, 24 PARGANAS (SOUTH)NO. 131/10 DTD.11/03/2010 OF JADAVPORE P.S, KOLKATA 700033TO KNOW FULL DETAILS PLEASE VISIT THE ABOVE WEBSITES.http://merlinprojects.blogspot.com/http://sites.google.com/site/merlinprojectsunionbanksite/ARE WE LIVING IN A CIVILIZED SOCIETY OR IN A CONCRETE JUNGLE INFESTED BY CROOKED PROMOTERS, CORRUPT POLITICIANS AND SENIOR POLICE OFFICERS WHO CAN BE PURCHASED FOR A SONG?ISN’T IT HIGH TIME FOR HONEST & LAW ABIDING CITIZENS TO RAISE THEIR VOICES AGAINST SUCH SCUMS OF OUR SOCIETY?POSTED IN PUBLIC INTEREST & WITHOUT ANY PREJUDICE BY ADVOCATE NILMANI DUTTA